The present invention relates to animated finger puppets with replaceable facial displays.
It is an ongoing problem to provide mind-expanding activities for children of the 10 to 14 age group, which are both attractive to the child concerned and cheap enough to be readily replaced if necessary. Educational games and apparatus have as their purpose the advancement of learning and the application of intelligence in a way which is both constructive and enjoyable.
Various attempts have been made to provide human heads with inter-changeable body parts. For example GB-A-466147 describes a human head to which various body parts are attachable, for example eye parts, nose parts, mouth parts, ear parts, hair parts and moustache parts etc. In this disclosure these body parts are each provided with a sharp tack which may be forced into a hollow receptive matrix to secure the part thereto. Whereas the body part may be secured in a such a way initially, the human head matrix will rapidly become pierced with so many holes that it will no longer be able to secure the body parts in any desired inter-relationship.
One solution to this problem has been suggested in GB-A-358838 which relates particularly to opticians models. This provides a face matrix of wood or hard rubber provided with apertures to allow plugs carried by relevant body parts to be engaged therein to reliably secure the same. The stated purpose of this arrangement is to ensure that exactly the same model is presented to a succession of students i.e. that any animation is prevented.
This last arrangement has also been utilised in GB-A-2091566 with the exception that body parts are adapted for ejection from the matrix on rapid arcuate movement thereof. Thus the body parts are loosely retained in bores of the matrix and will fall off if the matrix is moved sharply.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,910 (Narlo) relates to a mutable 3-dimensional facial display which is constructed with a plurality of intricately moulded components of a rubbery or polymer material. Each has a defined structural edge which mates with adjacent components to provide seven classic face shapes and many hybrid variations. The difficulty with arrangements of this type is the sheer number of accurate mouldings which are required. This ensures that the final result is so expensive that it is only justifiable as a teaching aid. Further there is no animation.
The inventor has observed that small changes in head parts and their interrelationship, and very small changes in the relative movement of body parts on the face results in perceivable changes in indication of mood. He also found that bending and stretching the forefinger for example could assist in animating a finger puppet. The invention therefore seeks to provide an animated finger puppet with interchangeable parts for instructional and amusement purposes. Further the finger puppets may by used in conjunction with a skirt which coves the hand. With the finger puppet disposed on, for example, the forefinger, the thumb and second finger can readily animate "arms" in conjunction with the head portion.